Summary of the article
The article describes the menace of “deaf” youngsters who have earphones plugged into their ears. These youngsters are said to face greater risk of accidents on the road. It is not an uncommon sight to see youngsters who have their ears plugged with their earphones or with their cellphones. The National Safety Council of Singapore observed that when your attention is distracted, it increases the chances of accidents. A test was conducted and the results showed that those who have their ears plugged in are in danger to road accidents. Youngsters do know of the risk that they are in, but they do not stop doing it.
Commentary
Ever wondered how you might be in danger every single day?
The overuse of electronic devices in our daily lives has led us to depend too much on them in many aspects, especially when it comes to entertainment. However, the entertainment that is derived from these devices could indirectly cause major harm to ourselves and others if the device is not at the appropriate times. In this day and age, most youngsters can be seen walking around, absorbed in their cellphones or music players. But have they ever thought of the dangers that lie when they do such things? I agree that these people who use such devices when on the road are more prone to accidents on the road because of the lack of attention they would give.
It is undeniable when one is absorbed in doing something, one gives one’s full attention to doing that. However, when one is doing more than just one thing, one’s attention would be divided. When we are walking and conversing with our friends, there is likelihood that we might not be attentive to our surroundings and trip and fall over a small hump. What more when we are engrossed in our mobile phones or music players when we are walking on the road. Doing these things divides our focus. We might not be able to able to notice the difference in our surrounding. A spokesman for the Automobile Association of Singapore mentioned that research has shown that distraction from handheld electronic devices is one of the major causes of road accidents. Listening to music and so on definitely increases the risk of accidents because we would be distracted when we do such things.
I remembered once when I was going home from training. It was around nine in the evening and was really exhausted after training. I was listening to my music player and crossing the road when a car was moving really fast and almost hit me. It was really frightening experience. I, of course, confess that it was partly my fault because I was jaywalking back then. But I was oblivious to my surroundings when I was listening to my music player. Indeed, being absorbed in our cellphones or music players do increase the chances of accidents occurring.
However, it is the car driver’s responsibility to look out for pedestrians if the pedestrian is in front. That was what Seah Jia Hao, a polytechnic student, said when interviewed. It is partly true and cannot be denied that part of the responsibility is the car driver itself. However, I disagree to the point that it is the driver’s responsibility fully. Imagine this. If a driver was driving late at night and there was a pedestrian in front of him. If he was to just avoid that particular pedestrian, what would be the consequence of such a move? There is a high possibility that other road users would be affected. He might swerve, and hit more pedestrians. If he was to apply emergency break, other cars behind him might crash and a bigger road accident? Indeed, the consequences of such a thing seem rather bleak as well.
The point that I am trying to bring out is that it is not only the driver’s responsibility or the pedestrian’s when it comes to road safety. Rather, it is the responsibility of each and every single individual road user’s responsibility. The pedestrians should try their best to avoid being involved in a road accident. Removing their earphones or being glued to their mobile phones while walking or when crossing the road is the very least that they could do in trying to prevent accidents. It is the vehicle user’s responsibility to drive safely, to abide to traffic rules, and to look out for pedestrians. If such every single road user is able to this his or her part in terms of safety when on the road, I have with very much confidence that the occurrence of road accidents would decrease significantly. With all the points given, I would like to reiterate my stand that listening to music or being glued to our mobile phones increases the risk of road accidents occurring.
The article describes the menace of “deaf” youngsters who have earphones plugged into their ears. These youngsters are said to face greater risk of accidents on the road. It is not an uncommon sight to see youngsters who have their ears plugged with their earphones or with their cellphones. The National Safety Council of Singapore observed that when your attention is distracted, it increases the chances of accidents. A test was conducted and the results showed that those who have their ears plugged in are in danger to road accidents. Youngsters do know of the risk that they are in, but they do not stop doing it.
Commentary
Ever wondered how you might be in danger every single day?
The overuse of electronic devices in our daily lives has led us to depend too much on them in many aspects, especially when it comes to entertainment. However, the entertainment that is derived from these devices could indirectly cause major harm to ourselves and others if the device is not at the appropriate times. In this day and age, most youngsters can be seen walking around, absorbed in their cellphones or music players. But have they ever thought of the dangers that lie when they do such things? I agree that these people who use such devices when on the road are more prone to accidents on the road because of the lack of attention they would give.
It is undeniable when one is absorbed in doing something, one gives one’s full attention to doing that. However, when one is doing more than just one thing, one’s attention would be divided. When we are walking and conversing with our friends, there is likelihood that we might not be attentive to our surroundings and trip and fall over a small hump. What more when we are engrossed in our mobile phones or music players when we are walking on the road. Doing these things divides our focus. We might not be able to able to notice the difference in our surrounding. A spokesman for the Automobile Association of Singapore mentioned that research has shown that distraction from handheld electronic devices is one of the major causes of road accidents. Listening to music and so on definitely increases the risk of accidents because we would be distracted when we do such things.
I remembered once when I was going home from training. It was around nine in the evening and was really exhausted after training. I was listening to my music player and crossing the road when a car was moving really fast and almost hit me. It was really frightening experience. I, of course, confess that it was partly my fault because I was jaywalking back then. But I was oblivious to my surroundings when I was listening to my music player. Indeed, being absorbed in our cellphones or music players do increase the chances of accidents occurring.
However, it is the car driver’s responsibility to look out for pedestrians if the pedestrian is in front. That was what Seah Jia Hao, a polytechnic student, said when interviewed. It is partly true and cannot be denied that part of the responsibility is the car driver itself. However, I disagree to the point that it is the driver’s responsibility fully. Imagine this. If a driver was driving late at night and there was a pedestrian in front of him. If he was to just avoid that particular pedestrian, what would be the consequence of such a move? There is a high possibility that other road users would be affected. He might swerve, and hit more pedestrians. If he was to apply emergency break, other cars behind him might crash and a bigger road accident? Indeed, the consequences of such a thing seem rather bleak as well.
The point that I am trying to bring out is that it is not only the driver’s responsibility or the pedestrian’s when it comes to road safety. Rather, it is the responsibility of each and every single individual road user’s responsibility. The pedestrians should try their best to avoid being involved in a road accident. Removing their earphones or being glued to their mobile phones while walking or when crossing the road is the very least that they could do in trying to prevent accidents. It is the vehicle user’s responsibility to drive safely, to abide to traffic rules, and to look out for pedestrians. If such every single road user is able to this his or her part in terms of safety when on the road, I have with very much confidence that the occurrence of road accidents would decrease significantly. With all the points given, I would like to reiterate my stand that listening to music or being glued to our mobile phones increases the risk of road accidents occurring.
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